What is PROLETA RE ART and how did it begin?
The concept of my brand, PROLETA RE ART, is taken from the word "PROLETARIAT", which means "a worker of the productive class in a capitalist society". The goal is to "reincarnate" them into wearable pieces that are completely one of a kind, "clothes that you will never want to part with", through the power of design and craft quality.
By having me, the designer, do all the work from design to production, I am able to ensure complete quality control.
When I was working as a designer at Kapital, I saw a lot of clothes being mass-produced in factories. I worked in the apparel industry for 10 years, feeling uncomfortable with such a cycle as a designer.
I believe that truly sustainable clothing is not the superficial eco-friendly or sustainable clothing that we have seen in recent years, but the clothing that customers want to keep for the rest of their lives.
Also, if a customer wears one of my pieces and it breaks, I will repair it myself if they wish. I don't just repair them, I also repair them with additional design features to provide wearable pieces that will last a lifetime and make people love them even more.
As for custom orders, I can also take your worn-out personal clothing and make special repairs and customizations.
I was also inspired to start upcycling when I was still in early elementary school, when I saw my father's tired, unbranded leather goods. He had been using a cheap brown leather wallet for many years, and it had been used so much that the surface of the leather had soaked up the grease from his hands, giving it a shiny black sheen, and the brass buttons and zippers had developed a greenish-blue rust. But to me at the time, the wallet looked more appealing than any toy or animation. The story of its use by my father and the marks of its rough handling without much maintenance seemed to speak to me as an aura.
My father said that it was too old and it was time to replace it, so I asked him to give me the wallet, which was about to be thrown away, and I loved it, though my father was mystified.
When an item is used and customized in this way, and used for many years, it takes on an aura that reflects the humanity of its owner. I am very interested in such things, and the reason why I upcycle old clothes is because I believe that by continuing to repair and customize them, the clothes will change as they age and renew their coolness, which is different from just aging. I want to see it with my own eyes.
Tell us about your experiences at KAPITAL KOUNTRY. How did you find yourself working there? How did your experiences shape your work today?
I have been working at KAPITAL as a designer for KAPITAL KOUNTRY since 2010. I first heard about KAPITAL when I was attending art school, and I applied for the job because I wanted to work there.
The department that I was assigned to was one where the designer was responsible for sewing, remaking, and vintage processing all by himself. I think the fact that the designer can do all the processes is the greatest strength of the company, and by adding new arrangements that were not planned during the process, we can quickly create one-of-a-kind items that cannot be mass-produced.
What are the differences between your work at KAPITAL and what you are doing now, in terms of scale and sustainability?
My brand is basically using used clothes that have been worn and repaired, and then customizing them using old fabrics and other materials. The scale of my brand is small compared to other brands because I am the only one producing them, but in terms of sustainability, I believe that my brand is more sustainable than ordinary apparel because it uses the unlimited amount of used clothes in the world.
What is your perspective on the concepts "vintage" and "Americana"?
I used to love vintage workwear, denim, sneakers, etc., which is called "American casual" in Japan, and I used to collect them and actually wear them a lot. Of course, I still like them, but I don't always think that they are valuable because they are vintage clothes from many years ago. The price is high because of the rare details. I was not interested in such values, as if I were dealing with antiques.
Rather than thinking, "It's fashionable because it's rare," or "I appreciate it because it's rare," I like to see how each piece of vintage clothing has its own unique color fading, or how the previous owner customized it, which is interesting. I like the look of each one of them.
What kinds of works have you made so far at PROLETA RE ART? Where do you hope to take the brand in the future?
PROLETA RE ART has two main lines. The first line is called "UROBOROS", which consists of old jeans and denim jackets that have been severely damaged, washed at high temperature, dismantled, and repaired. Then, special vintage processing is applied to sublimate them into wearable art pieces reminiscent of Japan's cultural heritage, "BORO". The concept is taken from the word UROBOROS, which means "immortality", "eternal return", and "destruction and creation".
The other pillar is called "MEME". This concept is taken from the term "Internet meme". For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed looking for interesting images and stories on the Internet.
I also used to travel around Asian countries, and I liked to look around at the graffiti of Mickey Mouse and other characters on the streets, and at the food stalls and other stores in China and Southeast Asia that drew cartoon characters on their signs without permission and were in business. They were poorly drawn but tasteful, distorted and a little creepy but funny. The look of those signs and graffiti, as they have further aged, peeled, faded, and become more melancholy, is more endearing to me than any work of art by any famous artist.
I incorporate this feeling into my designs by embroidering distorted characters with a vintage finish.
Since I was little, I have always loved to create my own ideas with my own hands, and I hope to continue to make small quantities of my own work as long as I am able. I don't really want to grow my brand and hire more people.
How do you think the hyper-trends of "archive fashion", and more recently "vintage", became so trendy?
I think it has a lot to do with the stay-home effect of the coronavirus pandemic, the widening disparity in economic conditions, and the fact that second-hand means of secondary distribution have become easier.
I think it is natural that the system that allows people to review their vintage items, used clothes, and archives of high brands, and to buy and sell them to those who want them through personal exchanges, has spread with the development of SMS and the Internet.
I also think that it is a good thing that truly excellent archives and vintage items can be seen by many people and circulated instead of being thrown away.
I believe that this trend will continue in the future.
How do you view your own work in this environment, with regards to art and sustainability?
I believe that a piece of art that has been continuously repaired and customized to show the signs of its owner's use is more beautiful than any other piece of art.
I believe that if such a sense of value spreads even a little, it will result in a sustainable and creative society.
